One source has him born 30 Sep 1631.56 Did not marry.23 Became Lieut. Governor, then acting Governor of the colony, and was for years Chief Justice.11
After graduating from Harvard, he went to England where he earned an M.A. at Oxford and became a clergyman. Returning to Massachussetts in 1662, he served the colony in many capacities. In 1692 he was Chief Justice at the Salem witchcraft trials, and he never repented his part in the proceedings. Appointed lieutenant governor of Massachussetts in 1692, he was the de facto head of the colony from 1694. In his faulty understanding of the law and utter lack of compasion, he was largely responsible for the tragic outcome of the Salem trials.56 |